Map of United Arab Emirates | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971 six of these states - Abu Zaby 'Ajman Al Fujayrah Ash Shariqah Dubayy and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.


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Location: Middle East bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N 54 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 83,600 km²
Land: 83,600 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries
Total: 867 km
Border countries: (2) Oman 410 km; , Saudi Arabia 457 km

Coastline: 1318 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains

Terrain: flat barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
Extremes highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas

Land use
Arable land: 0.77%
Permanent crops: 2.27%
Other: 96.96% (2005)

Irrigated land: 760 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 0.2 km³ (1997)

Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms

Geography
Note: strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz a vital transit point for world crude oil


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Population
Note: estimate is based on the results of the 2005 census that included a significantly higher estimate of net inmigration of non-citizens than previous estimates (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 3.833% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Emirati
Adjective: Emirati

Ethnic groups
Note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)

Languages: Arabic (official) Persian English Hindi Urdu

Religions: Muslim 96% (Shia 16%) other (includes Christian Hindu) 4%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 20.5% (male 484,102/female 462,405)
15-64 years: 78.6% (male 2,663,702/female 970,672)
65 years and over: 0.9% (male 26,244/female 14,274) 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 30.1 years
Male: 32 years
Female: 24.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.833% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 16.06 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 2.13 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 24.41 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 2.74 male/female
65 years and over: 1.84 male/female
Total population: 2.19 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 13.11 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 15.32 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 10.8 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.89 years
Male: 73.35 years
Female: 78.56 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.18% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 1.3% of GDP (2005)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 77.9%
Male: 76.1%
Female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 12 years (2003)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
Conventional short form: none
Local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
Local short form: none
Former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States
Abbreviation: UAE

Government type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates

Capital
Name: Abu Dhabi
Geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E
Time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) 'Ajman Al Fujayrah Ash Shariqah (Sharjah) Dubayy (Dubai) Ra's al Khaymah Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn)

Dependent areas

Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 2 December (1971)

Constitution: 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996

Legal system: based on a dual system of Sharia and civil courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: none

Executive branch
Chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD BIN RASHID Al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
Head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid Al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power
Elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held in 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid Al-Maktum unanimously affirmed vice president after the 2006 death of his brother Sheikh Maktum bin Rashid Al-Maktum

Legislative branch
Elections: elections for one half of the FNC (the other half remains appointed) held in the UAE on 18-20 December 2006; the new electoral college - a body of 6,689 Emiratis (including 1,189 women) appointed by the rulers of the seven emirates - were the only eligible voters and candidates; 456 candidates including 65 women ran for 20 contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a seat
Note: reviews legislation but cannot change or veto

Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: ABEDA AFESD AMF FAO G-77 GCC IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IPU ISO ITSO ITU LAS MIGA NAM OAPEC OIC OPCW OPEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Yousef bin Mani Saeed al-OTAIBA
In the us chancery: 3,522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 243-2,400
In the us fax: [1] (202) 243-2,432
In the us consulates: New York, Houston
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Richard OLSON
From the us embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 4,009, Abu Dhabi
From the us telephone: [971] (2) 414-2,200
From the us fax: [971] (2) 414-2,603
From the us consulates general: Dubai

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top) white and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely successful efforts at economic diversification nearly 40% of GDP is still directly based on oil and gas output. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004 the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement with the US. The country's Free Trade Zones - offering 100% foreign ownership and zero taxes - are helping to attract foreign investors. Higher oil revenue strong liquidity housing shortages and cheap credit in 2005-07 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs for businesses in the UAE and adversely impacting government employees and others on fixed incomes. Dependence on oil and a large expatriate workforce are significant long-term challenges. The UAE's strategic plan for the next few years focuses on diversification and creating more opportunities for nationals through improved education and increased private sector employment.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $164.4 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 7.5% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $37,000 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.8%
Industry: 60.6%
Services: 37.6% (2007 est.)

Agriculture products: dates vegetables watermelons; poultry eggs dairy products; fish

Industries: petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing aluminum cement fertilizers commercial ship repair construction materials some boat building handicrafts textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 3.065 million (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 7%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 78% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2.4% (2001)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $68.27 billion
Expenditures: $38.06 billion (2007 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 14% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $155.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $138.5 billion (2006)

Current account balance: $34.53 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $178.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: crude oil 45% natural gas reexports dried fish dates
Partners: Japan 23.6% South Korea 9.2% Thailand 5% India 4.8% (2007)

Imports: $116.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment chemicals food
Partners: China 12.8% India 10% US 8.7% Japan 6.1% Germany 5.9% UK 5.3% Italy 4.6% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $77.24 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $61.68 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $44.37 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $14.14 billion (2007 est.)

Exchange rates
Note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002


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Electricity
Production: 62.76 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 57.88 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 48.79 billion m³ (2006 est.)
Consumption: 43.11 billion m³ (2006 est.)
Exports: 6.848 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Imports: 1.343 billion m³ (2005)
Proven reserves: 6.071 trillion m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.385 million (2007)
Mobile cellular: 7.595 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable
International: country code - 971; linked to the international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); landing point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .ae
Hosts: 381,915 (2008)
Users: 2.3 million (2007)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for officers and women; no conscription (2008)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 39 (2007)
With paved runways total: 22
With paved runways over 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Heliports: 5 (2007)

Pipelines: condensate 520 km; gas 2,908 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2007)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 4,080 km
Paved: 4,080 km (includes 253 km of expressways) (2008)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 58
By type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 9, chemical tanker 4, container 8, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 24, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 14 (Denmark 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 10)
Registered in other countries: 313 (Bahamas 23, Bahrain 1, Belize 5, Cambodia 2, Comoros 7, Cyprus 9, Dominica 1, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 3, Hong Kong 1, India 6, Indonesia 2, Iran 1, Jordan 13, North Korea 8, Liberia 23, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 15, Mexico 1, Netherlands 5, Panama 109, Papua New Guinea 6, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 18, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 8, Singapore 12, Somalia 1, Turkey 1, UK 9, unknown 6) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Mina' Zayid (Abu Dhabi) Al Fujayrah Mina' Jabal 'Ali (Dubai) Mina' Rashid (Dubai) Mina' Saqr (Ra's al Khaymah) Khawr Fakkan (Sharjah)


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Disputes international: boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves but contents of the agreement and detailed maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island which Iran occupies

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug-producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving but informal banking remains unregulated